Today we are sharing a guest post from our amazing friend Meghan Clark. Honestly, we didn’t pay her to write this post and say these fun things about us. She did it all on her own. We have been proud of Meghan and her journey. This post is proof that if you get crazy enough, it will rub off on your friends!

Meghan & Dan Clark, Photos by Sara Beth

One crazy idea usually leads to others…and I blame this one on Jeff and Julie.

Well, maybe “blame” is a strong word but they certainly deserve some credit. When Jeff came out with his crazy idea at the beginning of last year, I was curious. I watched quietly as the family went through their first Whole30 together and rejoiced at seeing the wonderful results they realized at the end. And then my curiosity got the better of me. I started e-mailing Julie and asking all sorts of questions and scouring the Whole30 website.

We are making it friends. Our family is poised and set for landing this plane on our second Whole 30. As I reflect on week three, people have been asking me: What has been different this year from last year?

I’m Competitive

I’m competitive, very competitive. Some of you reading this, if you know me, chuckled a little and thought that was probably an understatement. I like to win. And because of that tend to only do things I’m good at. This is something I’m working on. But, truth be told, I tend to find I really like to do things that involve competing in some form. Board games, cards, fantasy football, and driving carpool all provide opportunities to win. Yes, you can win at carpool and the drive there. What’s the big deal if everyone else in the “game” doesn’t even know that it’s a game?

Setting Goals

Anyway, back to the Crazy Idea. Last year as I was thinking up this crazy idea I knew that in order to stay motivated I would need to set some goals, some crazy goals. Goals like losing 70 pounds and running a marathon. Goals that would push me hard and be difficult to reach.

As the year progressed I realized that I hadn’t done the best job of setting goals, they weren’t S.M.A.R.T. goals. Sure they were specific, measurable, actionable and time-bound, but they weren’t realistic. I wasn’t a runner and when I tried to run, my knees wanted nothing to do with it. So I had to re-evaluate a bit and decide that a marathon or even a half-marathon just want going to happen. We changed my training up to focus more on strength training rather than on reaching running goals. This in turn affected my weight loss as I added muscle and lost fat. So in the end, I didn’t reach my goal of a marathon or of losing 70 pounds (though I believe I did come close to that in fat loss, but the muscle gain off-set the total weight loss). [Read more...]

This is easy and fast to make. I wanted to try something new by using my curry spice and this turned out great. Jessa announced to us tonight that she has a new favorite dish. The whole family loved these paleo curry chicken wraps.

Prep time 10 minutes

Cooking time 10 minutes

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (sliced)

2 table spoons of chili powder

1 table spoon of curry

1/2 table spoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of italian seasoning

a dash of crushed red pepper (more or less depending on how hot you like it)

salt and pepper to taste

2 table spoons of coconut oil

1 head of butter lettuce

diced tomatoes

3 green onions chopped

1 avocado sliced

Empty chili powder, curry, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper and salt and pepper in a large zip lock bag. Toss in the chicken, close bag, and coat chicken by shaking.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt coconut oil and cook chicken strips in the skillet. Cook about 10 minutes, turning chicken until it is white all the way through.

Yes, yes I did quote Saint Paul Simon in the blog post title. And as I type this Julie pointed out by doing so I just dated myself. But I’m okay with that.

But as Mr. Simon suggests, it’s time to make a new plan, a plan for your new healthy lifestyle. That’s the number two thing I learned from this crazy idea – healthy requires a plan, especially at my age. I once was healthy, naturally, or so I thought. Truth was, I ate junk, but was active enough I looked and felt healthy. But nature ran it’s course. And I did nothing to combat it. The extent of my plan was to not think about it and go along for the ride. After all, it was natural, right! Why fight it?

But last year I decided if I wanted a different course for my life I had to have a plan. I had to know where I wanted to be and how to get there. You wouldn’t just jump in my car and take off for a new destination having no map (see how I dated myself again there). You would figure out the best route and how long it would take to get there. So it is with your health.

As you approach 2013 what is your plan? If you’re like I was ,you may not even know where to begin. That’s why I asked Ed from Ed’s Gym to help not only with the map, but to jump in the car and go along for the ride.

So, three questions for you.

Where are you now? Where to you want to go? What do you need to do to get there?

We live in a world where making it “on your own” is rewarded, even glorified. But when it comes to making huge life changes, going it alone is hard, if not near impossible. Everyone needs support, shoot, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.

Looking back over the past year, I can’t even begin to imagine how I would have done it alone. If I was left to face it all by myself, I’m not sure I would have stuck with it to be honest.

Family Support

Without the support of Julie and the kids I would have been nearly impossible to complete the Whole 30 or stick with a Paleo diet. They not only did it with me, but were encouraging along the way. Sure, they weren’t always excited about our limited food choices, but they never lost sight of the big picture and didn’t complain much. If you’re going to make a drastic diet change like I did, you’ve got to get those closest to you behind the vision. [Read more...]

On The Road Again

This year we did more travelling than we ever have. Rocky Mountain Media Group trips took us to Seattle, Oregon, Nashville, Pittsburgh and Steamboat Springs. Those coupled with family trips presented challenges to keeping a healthy routine.

Eating On The Road

When you are used to eating all natural, gluten free, paleo meals, travel can get tricky. Being prepared and planning ahead is the key. Do some research on the area you are visiting to find out what restaurants offer options that fit with your plan. And plan to take some snacks with you. When I travel, fresh fruit and nuts are always handy in my bag. Sometimes you will find yourself in situations where there aren’t good options. But again, planning ahead can help. One meal off plan won’t do much damage, but when that one leads to two than five it can. Make the best of the situation and don’t let it de-rail the work you have put in. [Read more...]

One of the things I learned during this Crazy Idea is that there is a secret to losing weight. I know for many of you this is going to come as a huge shock, so brace yourselves.

The secret to losing weight

The secret to losing weight is eating better and exercising. That’s it. Shocking, I know.

As I’ve changed my diet and I eat less junk I feel better and have more energy. When I feel better and have more energy I feel like exercising more. When I exercise more I burn more calories than I eat and I lose weight.

Pretty simple – yet not so easy to do. It involves changing habits, it involves emotional connections with food and it involves getting off the couch and moving.

But if you really want to lose weight there are no more excuses. Go eat a salad and take a walk for starters.

But I did it. I hiked that mound of dirt and rock that I looked at for 15 years. And after climbing Pikes Peak I decided I wanted more. I hiked another 14er, Mount Bierstadt , only two weeks later. This time with the help of Jeff and our friends Bob and Bekah. I was becoming a mountain mama! [Read more...]